Ravishing
by keelhaulrose
Summary: Teasing one's spouse might not be the best idea after not seeing each other for six months. Edward/Hermione pairing. Gift for my beta.


**A/N: This is my Christmas gift to my beta, Maria Binger. She gave me a one-word prompt, 'ravishing' and the Edward/Hermione pairing. Hopefully it's up to standards.**

**Since this is a gift for my beta, it's obviously not beta-read. I did my best, please don't leave flames if there are minor issues.**

**If I could take a quick moment to make a much-promised announcement; I am now a Wicked Goddess, part of a website dedicated to reviewing and presenting some of the best of the ff world from across the internet. Find us at www (dot) wgoddesses (dot) blogspot (dot) com**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Alice Cullen!" Hermione roared, pushing through the crowd of stylists and models to get to where her pixie-sized sister-in-law was standing, finishing the hem of an evening gown that was currently draped on Hermione's other sister-in-law, Rosalie.

"The answer is no, Hermione," Alice said, sounding annoyed. "That's how the dress was made."

"This damn top is sheer!" she growled. "My bloody nipples are showing!"

"That's how it was made. It's very fashion-forward," she said, adjusting the top of Rosalie's dress and shooing her off towards hair and makeup before rushing towards a group of models, shouting that the stylists were putting the wrong clothes on the wrong models.

"I don't care if it's the height of bloody fashion, I can't wear it!" she hissed, close on Alice's heels.

"Why not? It looks amazing on you. Besides, Edward will be out there. You haven't seen him in, what, six months?"

"All the more reason for me not to wear it. You know how possessive he gets," she protested, but there was a softness in her tone. She and Edward had been kept apart by their jobs, her at Hogwarts, Edward as an interrogator for Ministries around the world. They hadn't seen each other in six months, four days, and thirteen hours, not that anyone was counting. But she couldn't go soft, because showing Alice a moment of weakness would be like jumping into shark-infested waters with a gaping wound- you're a goner either way. "I can't wear it because I'm a teacher!"

"Not tonight, you're not. Tonight you're my fashion model."

"And I won't be if you don't find something else for me to wear. How long do you think it would take before pictures would show up in the dorms? I already have enough problems with the seventh-years drawing pictures of me in the buff, the last thing I need is them to have an actual picture of it!"

Alice sighed. "Fine. Stay here." She disappeared into the sea of people, reappearing seconds later with a mini-jacket. She helped Hermione into it, making sure it covered her nipples. "Happy?" she snapped.

"Yes," Hermione replied gratefully.

"Get your ass over to hair and makeup. I want you, Rosalie, and Esme done first because I know you three won't mess yourselves up, and I hate models!" she shouted, rushing off towards one who had the audacity to be drinking coffee while wearing one of Alice's newest creations. Hermione was in a hair and makeup chair before Alice could even think about turning around. She closed her eyes, and thought about Edward and everything that had happened to them in the past couple of years.

Gaining acceptance somewhere in the world was not an easy adjustment for the Cullens. They were still somewhat distrustful and hesitant, but slowly they started to seemingly enjoy their new-found freedoms and stability, like jobs where they didn't have to move every few months or the ability to finish and use an education, albeit generally in something magical. Edward studied Wizarding Law, and once the Ministry realized his extra abilities he became an in-demand interrogator in the Wizarding world. Why wouldn't he be, one needed Occlumency to be able to lie to him, and very few people were skilled enough to trick him with both Occlumency and their body language.

Carlisle had taken a permanent job as a Healer in St Mungos, specializing in sniffing out exactly what patients had been poisoned with. Esme was renovating large, old manors. Jasper trained Aurors and vampire hunters. Emmett was helping Hagrid deal with some of the more difficult creatures. But it was Alice and Rosalie who had gained the most fame. A few years prior Alice had designed a fashion line. Sentiment towards the Cullens and vampires in general was still somewhat wary, so most models were too afraid to work with her. She called in Tanya and Kate, and using Rosalie, Hermione, and Esme, Alice had pulled off her full show. Attitudes towards the vampire designer had changed overnight, and now she was one of the leading fashion designers for witches in the world. Another outcome of that show was that Rosalie was made, overnight, the most desired model for the same wizard designers that had scoffed at the idea of Alice joining their ranks. What designer wouldn't want a vampire model? Someone who would never trip, who looked amazing in everything, and whose proportions would never change. Rosalie soaked up the attention like a sponge, and was appearing in catalogues and fashion shows all over the world and loving it. Hermione and Esme had also been recruited as models, but would only agree to work in Alice's shows.

Being married as long as she and Edward had Hermione was quite comfortable in not seeing him for long periods of time. Sometimes when he went off on a supposedly simple case the information he figured out would lead to dozens, sometimes hundreds of new names. He would spend months at a time on a case, and because Hermione was so busy at Hogwarts she didn't get to see him much, if at all, during these times. But Edward refused to ever miss one of Alice's fashion shows. He said it was because he wanted to see his wife, but Hermione was sure she heard Alice threatening him with a lighter once.

"Done, dearie," someone said above her, and she opened her eyes long enough to see her face and hair. Alice never liked anything too bizarre, so she thought that the smoky eye and messy bun combo was more flattering than some of the crazy getups that Rosalie had let herself get talked into. She thanked the hair and makeup artists and hurried off to line up where she was going to be needed when the show started.

"I see you beat her into submission on the sheer top," Rosalie said with a smile.

"I made her see reason," she replied.

"Playwizard has been writing again. They still want the three of us. I think they've finally given up on Esme."

"No way in hell. I don't want to be on the wall of every dorm at the castle."

"I figured the boys in your class spend more time staring at your tits than they do listening to information about the Dark Arts. Some of the girls, too, I suspect."

"Rose!" Esme hissed. "Please watch your language."

"Sorry, mom," Rosalie replied, but she shot Hermione a quick wink before whispering, so only she could hear, "Part of the good part about being a vampire, I could stand here and give you every detail of what Emmett and I did last night, and none of these girls would be any the wiser."

"Oh, yes, they would," Hermione hissed back. "Because I would not be keeping quiet about trying not to hear a single word about it."

"Something has got you touchy. Oh, yes, now I remember. It's been over six months since you and Edward have gotten down to business. That's got to be some kind of record for the two of you. You haven't gone this long without getting it out of your system before, have you?"

"Never," she shook her head. "But with his case over in Canada and with me taking over Neville's rounds while he goes to be with his baby and with OWLs coming up, neither one of us have had a chance to go visiting."

"Well, he should be waiting for you somewhere near that runway today. Too bad we have the after party we have to go to."

"It's just at the Weasleys. You know how much Alice hates schmoozing with reporters and other fashion industry people who were pretty quick to say bad things about her before."

"Doesn't mean you can skip it. She still expects you to show up and schmooze with the reporters from the Quibbler and Witch Weekly."

"I know, I know," she sighed, straining her ears to see if she could pick up her husband's voice in the sea of voices all talking beyond the curtains, but there were too many for her to distinguish any but the always-booming voice of Emmett. So she sat back and relaxed for a few minutes until it was time to line up and start the show. She watched as Esme opened the show, watched a few models go, and then it was her turn. Alice straightened a few more things, then moved aside for her to go. Her eyes immediately found Edward's as she turned to face the crowd- he had positioned himself right at the end of the runway so she was strutting right towards him. She had always felt somewhat self-conscious as she walked, and she usually did her best to ignore for the sake of doing Alice the favor, but there was something about the way that Edward was looking at her that made her forget the hundreds of eyes on her. There was a look of overwhelming desire written across Edward's face, he looked to be holding onto his seat to keep from claiming her right there on the runway. She felt a smirk play across her face, and before she even thought about it her hips were swaying just a little bit more than they had to.

'Do you have any idea what you're doing to me?' Edward mouthed as she reached the end of the runway.

'I know exactly what I'm doing to you,' she replied, opening her mind to him as she locked eyes with him, posed three times, and turned to walk back, feeling him stare at her arse the whole walk back.

Alice had set up a dressing area backstage only for her, Esme, and Rosalie, who could get ready quicker without any of the assistants, and therefore be ready to get back on the runway faster than the other models. She threw on her second outfit, which was a much simpler pantsuit, and presented herself to Alice for inspection before walking back out onto the runway. This time, while Edward still looked at her appreciatively, there was not the look of overwhelming lust there had been the time before, and she was more able to focus on the walk than the pair of amber eyes staring unblinkingly at her.

Her third and final outfit was another evening gown, and Alice hadn't toned down the sexiness on this one either. The neckline was modest, but there were just a few strips of fabric over a mostly bare back, there were two large diamond-shaped cutouts on one side, and a slit that showed off most of her leg. Thinking that it might be asking more of Edward's self-control than he had at the moment, she stepped out onto the runway, and any doubts that Edward was waging a battle with his self-control immediately flew away. This time the bronze-haired vampire was leaning so far out of his seat that it was only Emmett's death-grip on the back of his tux that was keeping him in place. His eyes were greedy, and there was something feral behind them.

"Patience," she breathed at she posed and turned.

"She did this on purpose," Edward replied in a hiss. Of course Alice would do something like this. One of her favorite games was annoying Edward, and dolling his wife up and parading her just out of reach was probably her idea of a good time. A little bit of joy in a day where she would be otherwise ripping her hair out.

She strode backstage, then hurried to line up behind Esme for their final walk.

"You looked wonderful," Esme smiled, giving her as much a hug as she dared for fear of causing a microscopic wrinkle that Alice would be happy to point out later.

"You did too," she replied.

"Edward looked... quite enthralled by you."

"You saw that?"

"It was difficult to miss. That boy had the patience of a saint, so to speak, before he met you, but now he seems to have a difficult time keeping away from you."

Hermione pointed towards Alice to keep off the subject their conversation seemed to be leading. She had no desire to talk sex with the woman she and Edward had both come to view as a mother. Alice was shoving models into place, and Hermione started to recite 'Hogwarts, A History' in her head to keep from provoking Edward further.

* * *

That night was the party, and as always Alice pulled Hermione and Rosalie, who always wore the showpieces of the collection, around to every important person she allowed to attend. Madam Malkin, who was the only wizard clothier who was willing to sell her things before she made it big, was always allowed to pick one thing as an 'exclusive' for her shop, and was thus always the first stop on Alice's 'mad tour' through the party.

Normally Hermione was a very gracious host and attentive sister to anything Alice asked of her, but today she was restless. Her eyes scanned the crowd, and she saw Edward standing under a tree just out of reach of the lights of the tent. He beckoned for her. She looked at Alice, who was standing next to her, talking to a foreign designer she had made friends with. They seemed deep in conversation about what the future of fashion might bring (and Alice was well-known for being on top of fashion trends before they even happened), so Hermione slipped out of arms reach, checked to make sure Alice wasn't about to attack, then slid through the crowd quickly and quietly. She walked out of the tent, and caught a glimpse of Edward's bronze hair disappearing through the woods towards the makeshift Quidditch pitch. Confused, she followed, but quickly lost sight of him. She followed his scent through the trees.

"Edward?" she hissed into the darkness, unable to see him. "Where the bloody hell are..?"

She was cut off by the feeling of getting grabbed around the waist from behind. Edward slammed her into a nearby tree, his lips on hers before she could say anything. The dress was in her mind for half a second before she allowed her feelings take over. She clutched him to her, not letting his lips leave hers as his body pinned hers to the bark at her back. Without warning, he reached around her, picking her up, so a quarter second later she felt her back hitting a boulder hard. Edward's hand found the side of her dress without the slit and started winding the fabric around his fist, pulling up as he went. He shoved the fabric behind her back to keep it in place as he wrapped her legs around his waist, and wiggled out of his jacket at the same time.

"Edward, wait," she gasped as she disentangled her lips from his.

"No," he growled, the only pause before his lips began to attack her neck.

"Not that long. Just long enough for me to get this dress off."

The strips of fabric at the back of her dress were ripped lose as a response. He yanked down the top of dress so he could have access to her breasts.

"Alice is so going to kill me!" she moaned as his tongue swirled around one peak and his fingers expertly rolled the other. "This is her favorite dress of this collection."

"Don't care," he snarled, slipping a hand between their bodies so he could unfasten his pants and push them down just enough to free his erection from them. As his hand came back up he tore her panties from her, and adjusted her hips just enough that he could push into her with a groan of satisfaction.

"Please!" she cried, and while she meant it as a final plea for the dress she realized quickly that it was her way of begging for more. He was more than happy to oblige, hips thrusting into her as fast and as deep as the position would allow. Lips flew over her neck and chest as one of his powerful arms was around her waist, forcing her to stay in place and just allow him to do as he wanted.

There was a crunching noise as the rock underneath her hands crumbled into gravel as her fingers dug long groves into the boulder, and she was forced to lean backwards, Edward bending forward over her, unwilling to let their bodies get even a few inches apart. Now that the angle was different he lifted her legs higher, and she tucked her knees as high and as tight as they would go.

"Come for me," he purred against her neck, his fingers finding her nub and circling it as he drove furiously into her.

The words were like magic to her, and she drew his lips back to hers as she felt herself losing control, her muscles tightening before her body reached it's peak. He refused to give up his incessant thrusting even as her pleasure surged through her, and she shuddered slightly as her body become more sensitive, but he would not relent until his hands tightened against her skin, holding her as he pushed a final time as far as he could, and he finished with a hiss of, "Mine."

He backed off her, taking care in covering her up as best he could with the now-torn fabric. He zipped his tux back into place and sunk into the grass, pulling her gently with him so his head was resting in her lap. She stroked his bronze hair and gazed into his smiling eyes.

"Welcome back," she muttered with a smirk.

He chuckled. "I'm going to have to be back for a while."

"Alice's dresses would appreciate it."

"It is not my fault that you look ravishing in it. And when one looks ravishing, one deserves to be ravished."

"And to hell with the collateral damage?"

"I'd face the wrath of Alice any day for that."

"Good," she purred, quickly moving so she was now straddling him, the slit on the dress ripping up to her waist as she did so.

"I thought you were worried about irritating the pixie," he groaned as she returned his earlier favor, attacking his neck with the same fervor as he had done to her as she ripped the shirt off his chest.

"I can fix it," she hissed, which was all the convincing he needed.


End file.
